ASHEVILLE — With the Moogfest lineup announcement Monday, organizers prove that categorizing the fall music festival as an electronic music celebration is an over-simplification.

With headliners ranging from quirky rockers Primus to guitar-driven instrumentalists, Explosions in the Sky, AC Entertainment presented a group marked by diversity — and linked by innovation.

“I think (the lineup) definitely keeps in line with the aesthetic that we’ve established the first two years,” said director of marketing, Matt Hendrickson, of Oct. 26-27 schedule for the downtown festival. Last year, 30,000 people over the course of three days from 46 states and six countries.

“It’s really about Bob Moog’s spirit of innovation. In previous years, and this year, there are artists that do not use Moog synthesizers; that is not a requirement for us” he said. Moog, who is credited with revolutionizing electronic music with his invention of the Moog synthesizer, moved to Asheville in 1978, and his company, Moog Music, remains here.

The lineup does include some synth-driven artists, such as legendary electronics wiz Thomas Dolby, Swedish electro-pop outfit Miike Snow and electronic experimental act Bear in Heaven.

“It’s more about pushing the envelope,” Hendrickson said, especially headliner Primus, who are touring with a 3D-enhanced live experience. “We want to provide this mind-melting experience that really pushing people to discover something they didn’t know about.”

The envelope they are pushing this year, however, is a bit thinner — with a leaner pass price tag to match. The festival shrunk from three days to two; and weekend passes are $100 instead of the almost $150 last year (daily passes start at $65 instead of $75). Tickets will go on sale noon Friday at www.moogfest.com.

“As far as the two change goes, a lot of people weren’t able to take Monday off from work and missed the Sunday (lineup),” Hendrickson said. “We wanted to give people to opportunity to really be able to have a full sort of weekend.”

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Hendrickson said he does not expect the two-day version to mean a smaller Moogfest attendance, especially since the lower prices might attract some new people.

“We are looking to sell around the same amount of tickets,” he said. Like previous years, a dollar from each sale of tickets and passes will be donated to the Bob Moog Foundation, a donor-driven organization aiming to educate and inspire through the celebration of Bob Moog.

This year, the festival footprint has also shrunk: The YMI Cultural Center hosted an exhibit from iconic artist Brian Eno and the Diana Wortham Theatre, which hosted acts likekeyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, are not returning to the festival fold in 2012.

The festival’s outdoor stage at the Renaissance Hotel has also been dropped. “The outdoor stage presented a lot of challenges, one was the weather,” he said, noting rain on Friday and brisk temperatures at night Saturday and Sunday.

“We just felt like the best experience for the fans was to take it all back inside,” Hendrickson said. Downtown Asheville festival venues include U.S. Cellular Center, the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, the Orange Peel and Asheville Music Hall.

The schedule and location for all the acts will be announced later, and there might be more acts added to the mix, Hendrickson noted.

“There is always more potential to add,” he said, noting that there is, however, already solid lineup and only so many hours on Oct. 26-27.